


Hearts Skipping Beats

by Foxberry



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cute Ending, First Kiss, Fluff, Gentle Kissing, Getting close, Getting to Know Each Other, Holding Hands, M/M, Moonlight, Pining, Pining Lance (Voltron), Skipping Stones, Touchy-Feely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-15 16:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12324492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxberry/pseuds/Foxberry
Summary: Lance's quiet night skipping stones is interrupted when Keith asks him just how he does it. In his demonstration, Lance gets closer than he ever thought he would.





	Hearts Skipping Beats

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution to the [Klance Zine](https://twitter.com/klancezine2017).
> 
> I felt the need to write something really cute with these two that's different from other things I've seen. Please let me know what you think!

****The weight of the stone in Lance’s hand is perfect. Smooth and flat, it glides over his fingertips as he turns it over and over. A skipping stone has to be the right feel, the right weight, and be smooth enough to skirt the surface. The rest comes down to Lance and the accuracy of his throw.

Staring out at the park lake, he bends his knees, pulled back his arm, and waits for the right angle to come to him. He needs perfect concentration to break his former record. In the blissful quiet night, he only has the stars and their reflections on the shimmering lake to keep him company.

The snap of a twig and shuffling of leaves tells him he won’t be alone for long. A familiar voice follows and breaks the silence further. “Do you always do this?” Blunt and curious, it sounds equally annoying and calming to Lance’s ears.

He pauses, stone still between his fingers. He knows that voice anywhere and even in the chilly air of the night, it sends a warm flush up his face. Thankfully it's too dark in the tree's shade to see his lips twitch at the sight of his neighbour walking up to him so late at night.

“It keeps me calm,” Lance answers, knowing already that his heart is beginning to beat just that much faster. He might actually need to throw a few more rocks tonight.

The light catches the side of Keith’s face when Lance finally gains the courage to look over. Angled jaw and dark grey eyes catch the moonlight in a way that makes him glow, only enhancing the features Lance has etched into his memory. He seems so at home in the night, like he wasn’t meant to sleep at all.

He approaches with steps as quiet as the wind rustling the bushes nearby. “How do you do it?” Keith’s straight to the questions like always. His hands tucked into his jacket, he moved his shoulders as a sign of interest, an awkward shuffle if Lance had ever seen one.

Lance clears his throat, hoping that his voice was going to sound steady when he opened his mouth. “I can show you?” It manages to keep some semblance of composure despite how shaky he feels.

“Okay.” Keith pulls that painfully cute expression of concentration he always does, the one where he seriously takes note of everything, where his eyes narrow just a little like it'll help him listen better. “How do you throw it?”

Lance swallows the nerves and lets himself smile. “Well, first you need a smooth stone. Not just any stone. It’s gotta be a special one.” Before he's even finished, Keith is searching the ground for a stone. His hands sit in his pockets while he stumbles around, half bent over while he scans the lake shore.

“What do you mean special?” Keith asks without looking up. He appears much like a duck searching the ground for bread. Even his arms appear like wings until he finally reaches down to pick through the stones at the water's edge. He almost looks lost.

Shaking himself out of his daze, Lance continues, “You know, smooth, hard, maybe a little bit dry on the delivery.” It takes a second before he realises that he's entirely talking about Keith now. He freezes and clasps his own special stone in his hand.

“On delivery?” Keith looks up with an embarrassed smile. He seems to have found a stone. His fingers flip it over again and again, feeling across it absentmindedly. Moonlight catches in his hair as shadows fall across his features.

Lance swears he can't breathe for a second. The darkness doesn't hide just how pretty Keith is even when most of his face is mostly hidden in shadow. “Uh.. uh… yeah, like it needs to be dry so it skips better.” His voice hasn't seemed to have failed him yet but Lance suspects it won't be long until it does.

“Oh.” Keith looks away, hiding the expression that comes to his face. “Is this one good?” Keith asks before he hurries over and shows it for Lance’s approval, hand presented with the stone laying in the palm. His smile outdoes the smile that comes to his face and quickly undoes Lance’s resolve.

Clearing his throat, Lance wishes desperately for the dryness to disappear. He can't seem to shake it or slow the percussive way his heart beats. “Y-yeah, g-good.” Keith is standing so close to him, staring at him with an indiscernible look in his eye.

“So what now?” Keith peers out to the lake and back to Lance again. He's listening to every word that comes out of Lance's mouth. His eyes seem to burn with curiosity, sincerity, and a little something else that makes Lance want to lean forward and touch his cheek.

Lance fiddles with the stone in his hand. “You’ve gotta make sure you hold it right in your hand.” He holds up his hand, positioning the stone between his fingers, demonstrating the right position. His stomach flutters at the way Keith watches so intently. “Like so.”

“Like… this?” Keith concentrates, biting his lip to mimic Lance's hand, but despite the turning of his hand and the movement of his fingers, he can’t seem to get the right position. His eyebrows furrow with confusion and Lance's eyes drop to Keith's lips, wondering how they might taste.

Lance resists the urge and tucks his stone into his pocket. "It's more like..." he begins as leans over to fix Keith’s hand. The warmth of Keith's skin makes him pause at first. He's actually touching Keith and Keith is letting him touch him, letting him move his fingers.  
  
Keith nods and watches with careful consideration. "Oh..." He's not the least bit concerned by how close Lance is standing. He nudges even closer, shoulder brushing against Lance. "So how do I throw it?" The curt tone to his voice sounds so much softer when he stands this close.

Lance swallows hard and hopes that Keith can't hear. "So you... uh... hold your hand like this?" He demonstrates again, pulling his stone from his pocket and pulling his hand back as if he might throw the stone right then. He holds it steady, almost exaggerating his moments until Keith's watch, trying desperately not to shake from the fluttering in his stomach and the racing of his heart.

With a clicking of his tongue, Keith follows the same movements, holding the stone in his hand and drawing it back, even pausing in the same position as Lance. Yet there's something not quite right about his posture. The angle's not right. His legs aren't quite bent enough.

"No, you've got to do it more like..." Lance bobs a little, nodding his head with it, probably looking like a fool. He readjusts himself again, wiggling his shoulders to loosen his body up. That's probably what he can see - the stiffness in Keith's form. If he's too still there's no way he can throw a skipping stone.

Lance's hands grab Keith's shoulders and turn him away, bringing Keith's back close to his chest. He can't position Keith any other way. The guy's not going to get it otherwise. "You're too... stiff." Lance is actually touching him and he can't seem to remove his hands now that they're on him.

"Too stiff?" Keith huffs and it sounds like a light laugh. His hair shakes and glistens in the moonlight. What Lance would give to be able to see the look on his face, or having it staring right back at him instead. "How do you suggest I move then? Show me."

It almost sounds like a dare with the tint of humour in his voice, like a dare. Lance can barely utter more than a series of choked sounds but he manages to find the courage to move. He pushes down on Keith's shoulders, staring into those dark locks while he tries to not notice the muscle beneath his fingertips.

Lance puffs out his chest, unable to ignore the fact it's almost pressed against Keith's back, and answers cheekily, "You've got to relax." He pushes again and Keith bends his knees at the prompting. "Keep your knees bent, loosen up, and let the movement of your arm flow."

Moving to put Keith's arms into position, Lance takes the opportunity to stroke his hands down Keith's shoulders, over his arms, curving around his elbow until he's almost embracing Keith. He knows he should be saying something to make the moment less awkward, but even as his heart beats away in his chest, this position feels comfortable, almost... right.

"Knees bent," Keith repeats and bobs a little. "Loosen up." He shimmies his shoulders and moves back against Lance's chest. His arms press against Lance's arms. "What now, Lance?" Keith actually waits in position, completely trusting, almost vulnerable.

"Uh... uh..." Lance has to shake his head to regain himself. The touch of Keith's body against him, his hands almost in his, leaves him weak and forgetting where he is and what he's meant to be doing. It takes a few seconds before he can speak again. "You want to take the stone and pull it back, aim with your shoulder, and then..."  
  
"Show me?" Keith interrupts with a turn of his head, peering over his shoulder and just catching Lance's gaze. His voice is so soft that Lance could've just melted right there and then.  
  
Lance is sure his breath is tickling Keith's neck by now but the guy doesn't seem to mind it. There's nothing innocent in how they look, pressed up against one another, practically hugging at this point. Anyone would think they're together by how they're standing.

A warm fuzzy feeling fills Lance and he obliges with a nervous nod. "O-okay. S-sure." His hands grab Keith's and move him into position. He's pliant and agreeable, consenting to every little change Lance makes to his posture.

Keith chuckles under his breath. The sound is so warm and inviting that Lance lets himself have just one moment to enjoy the fact he just made Keith laugh, and they're so close. Lance could listen to the sound of his laughter for hours if he could. He bites his bottom lip to hide the nervous laughter that wants to bubble forth from his own mouth.  
  
"Then I just throw the stone?" He turns his head back, face barely an inch away, practically in Lance’s arms like he intended to be there. His eyes don’t look away. Keith isn’t threatened or bothered by how close they are, standing in the dark, lit by hints of moonlight. His hair even moves when Lance’s laughs at his question.

“No, you drop it.” Taking lead, Lance guides Keith’s hand backwards as they both bend at the knees. Lance doesn’t need to tell him what to do next, but he says it anyway. “Then you pull back and…” His voice trails off as together they pull back and throw forward, Keith’s fingers releasing the stone at Lance’s nudge. Again, there’s no need to say a word.  
  
The stone flies across the lake. Stars shimmering on the surface twinkle even more as it skips along the surface for one second before plopping into the black depth. Not a successful throw by any means, but there was a skip nonetheless. Keith isn’t such a bad shot after all.  
  
Ripples swim and disturb the pristine reflection of the night sky above, drawing Lance’s eyes for a few moments until he realises he’s still holding Keith’s hand in his. They’re huddled together with Lance still up against Keith’s back, one hand on Keith’s left elbow while his right arm curves around the other side. His hand has drawn Keith’s back and held it firmly on his palm. Anyone walking by would think they’re together.

Lance can’t move. They’re touching, so close, so comfortable. He tries to gulp away the nerves, but it only draws Keith’s attention. His eyes look so pretty this close. “D-didn’t go far but you didn’t do _too_ bad, if I _do_ say so myself.” No matter of sing-song is going to hide the nerves in his voice.

Keith licks his lips in thought. “Yeah?” He huffs a laugh and leans in closer. He finds Lance’s lips with his own, soft and purposeful, and lingers for a few seconds. He shrugs and pulls back but not away. “You could do better, if I do say so myself.”

That’s… that was… Keith just… Lance’s mind can barely compute. His lips are tingling and his mind is buzzing. “B-b-better?” He’s blinking faster than thoughts can come to his mind. He can’t even move away. “C-course. I can _totally_ do better.” He’s got to do something. Keith is testing him after all.

Clearing his throat, Lance takes on Keith’s challenge and in a swift movement of hands, he spins Keith to face him. Eye to eye, Lance can’t hide the surprise on his face, but maybe the night can mask the flush across his face. “You…” he tries to say something, anything, and finds himself failing. He bites his lip, gathers the courage, and surges forth to press his lips against Keith’s.

Keith’s hands grasp onto his at first, lips working with hesitation and a gentleness that makes Lance melt. Their fingers intertwine by their sides, grasping and grabbing and unable to keep still. They pull each other closer. Lance can’t tell if he’s holding on tighter or if Keith is, but he knows for certain that he doesn’t mind either way.

Moments pass and the night sings around them. Lance is sure he’s seeing stars even with his eyes closed, but they’re not as beautiful as the face he’ll find when he opens his eyes. His hands feel up Keith’s arms, find his shoulders, and circle around his neck. He barely stops to breathe, chasing after kiss after kiss, feeling the touch of Keith’s smile and the warmth of his neck.

Keith pulls away with a gasp and a soft chuckle, another laugh that Lance will commit to memory. He seems surprised, eyes open as if they finally see in the dark. “That’s… that’s something…” Perhaps it’s a trick of the light, but Lance is sure he sees a flush take to his skin. He keeps blinking and peering over Lance’s face, grabbing for Lance’s hands around his neck and pulling them back down down to their sides with a squeeze.

“Do you always do this?” Lance teases with a grin. He’s nervous as all hell. His hands are squeezing back at the insistent way Keith is grabbing at him, wanting him, wanting to touch him and not let go. He’s giddy and light and ready to sink to his knees, maybe cuddle Keith to the ground if he can.

Keith squeezes once again. He smiles and shrugs and gnaws at his bottom lip. His hair still catches the light, sitting softly above his shoulders. “It keeps me calm,” he answers with wink, so casual and deliberate it seemed almost too soft to be cheeky. “Do you think we could stay like this for a while?”

Lance hums and pulls faces as he puts on a mock show of consideration. “Hmmm… I don’t see why not.” He closes the gap between them, their faces so close they could kiss again at a whisper. The night has become brighter and more alive, if just for the touch of Keith’s hands and more at the taste of his lips.  “I’ve got to do better after all.” There’s no comparing skipping stones and hearts skipping beats.

**Author's Note:**

> All comments and kudos are very much appreciated. 
> 
> Come find me on Twitter [@particlebarrier](http://twitter.com/particlebarrier).


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